


we’ll make the happiest home

by merlypops



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Basically Cashton fall in love and it's adorable and sickeningly fluffy, Best Friends, Depression, Dogs, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Happy Ending, Healing, Implied/Referenced Past Self-Harm, Light Angst, M/M, Online Dating, and then Muke are all cute too, this is discontinued
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-21 18:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8256118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlypops/pseuds/merlypops
Summary: “I created my dating profile under duress,” Calum said, imagining Michael’s indignant squawk in his head and failing to suppress a smile. “Namely, I didn’t want my best friend to start sulking because then he might not let me walk his dog with him anymore.”Ashton’s hazel eyes twinkled and his soft laugh seemed to take him by surprise.“I just really love puppies,” Ashton said, smiling crookedly. “Plus, my best friend Luke thought that your best friend in one of the pictures was cute and he wanted me to fix them up.”“Oh, nice,” Calum teased, trying for sarcastic and failing when a smile lit up his face. “Everyone just wants to play matchmaker these days, huh?”
  Calum’s dating profile says: “Looking for someone to raise a dog with” and Ashton just really loves puppies. (Luke and Michael just flirt with each other a lot.)
Based on “The Dog Song” by Nellie McKay.





	1. Matchmaker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [everlastingcontrast](https://archiveofourown.org/users/everlastingcontrast/gifts).



> because Charlotte gets so excited and I want to make her smile. <3
> 
> Basically this was based on a post I saw on tumblr that said: "Looking for someone to raise a dog with."  
> Because honestly same.
> 
> I'm not sure how many chapters there's going to be of this yet but I'd imagine 4-5 maximum.  
> I really hope you guys will like this!

It was a warm day but the sunlight wasn’t touching Calum today.

“Cal?” Michael asked softly and his best friend looked up at him with tired eyes. “You look sad again. Did something happen?”

Calum shrugged listlessly, kicking at the dried grass as he came to an unwilling stop when Michael’s dog Federer paused to sniff around them.

“Not really,” Calum said after a long moment. “I just… feel a bit down again I guess. It’s nothing new.” Michael sighed, resting his head lightly on his best friend’s shoulder as Federer nosed through the grass, woofing happily.

“Doesn’t make it okay though,” Michael said blandly, biting his lip as he watched his oldest friend with concerned eyes. “Come over to mine tonight and we’ll make pizzas, okay? And then we’re going to watch a film and set you up on some dumb dating website, and it’s going to be fantastic. I’ve decided.”

“Oh, you _have_ , have you?” Calum teased but there was a faint smile on his face now and his eyes were twinkling again. Michael relaxed visibly.

“Yes, I have,” he said firmly. “We’re going to watch ‘Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind’ and I’m going to cry all over you, and _then_ we’re going to find you a cute boyfriend, Cal. Okay?”

“Yeah,” Calum said slowly but his eyes were crinkling now and his heart felt a little lighter in his chest. “Yeah, okay, Mikey.”

*

Luke’s ceiling was not very interesting. It was an off-white colour with weird swirls in the plaster, and Ashton could probably describe it perfectly with his eyes shut now because he’d been gazing up at it for the last hour and a half.

His best friend Luke had dragged him into his bedroom to play video games, apparently unhappy that the older man had been doing his best to avoid him lately - Ashton couldn’t help it though; sometimes he just felt crappy and didn’t want to see people (not that his attempts at avoidance were successful when it was taken into account that they both lived in the same flat) - but Ashton had just spent the whole time staring listlessly up at the ceiling while Luke made pointed complaints about having no one to play Fifa with him.

“Hey, Ash,” Luke said without looking up from the screen. “Hey, Ash. _Ash_. Hey, Ash. Pay attention to me, Ash.”

Ashton didn’t look up. He was still staring at the ceiling with a bitter taste in his mouth and a sinking feeling in his chest. He’d felt a bit shit for weeks now if he was being honest with himself but it felt worse today, like if he didn’t pull himself out of it then he might not be able to on his own.

“ _Hey_ ,” Luke said and his voice was a little sharper now, like he could tell his best friend was losing it. “Fucking look at me, Ash, okay?” Ashton dragged his hazel eyes over to the taller man and Luke sighed heavily as he raked a hand through his messy blond hair.

“Damnit, Ash,” Luke said softly and Ashton closed his eyes. “Talk to me. What’re you thinking about, buddy?”

Ashton sighed loudly, rolling over and burying his face in the crook of his elbow so that his voice came out muffled. “I don’t know… maybe _everything_?” the older man attempted. Luke snorted and shoved his best friend’s shoulder lightly.

“You’re gonna have to elaborate, Ash,” Luke said evenly, flinging his controller onto the bed and flopping down so that he was half-lying on his best friend. Ashton grumbled quietly, hand reaching back awkwardly to shove ineffectually at Luke’s shoulder.

“I’m just… dwelling on things,” Ashton said after a long moment. “Like the divorce and dad leaving and… and my shitty coping mechanisms…”

Ashton’s voice trailed away uneasily and Luke sobered, one warm hand slipping to cover Ashton’s wrist where he knew the fading scars lay underneath his sleeve.

“You’ll be okay, Ash,” Luke said quietly. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for thinking about these things. You’re only human, right? You can’t help it.” Ashton made a little snuffling noise and Luke frowned, shuffling closer until he was covering the older man like a blanket. Ashton gave a watery laugh into the duvet when Luke snuggled nearer, resting his head on his best friend’s shoulder.

“The rest of today is going to be _fun_ ,” Luke decided softly and, when Ashton glanced over at him curiously with eyelashes spiky with tears, the blond man’s face softened. “You wanna cry over Disney films and check your dating profile again, Ashy?”

Ashton’s face lit up although he was clearly trying to scowl.

“Oh, you mean the one you _blackmailed_ me into making when I was drunk?” the older man asked sourly. Luke smiled, his expression sunny and utterly shameless.

“The very same,” the younger man said cheerfully. “And then maybe I’ll even let you pick what we order for dinner, okay? I don’t even care if it’s made of grass and nothing else like last time.”

“Luke, we… we ate a _salad_ ,” Ashton said weakly, raising one eyebrow as a tiny wry smile touched his full lips. “You talk so much shit, I swear.”

“So do you though,” Luke said cheerfully and Ashton couldn’t deny it. “That’s why we’re best friends.”

*

Calum stared at the screen in silence. There was a plate of half-eaten homemade pizza balanced on his lap and he was wearing a pair of Michael’s pyjamas because they were having an impromptu sleepover. The dating website was an obnoxiously bright pink colour. The cursor was flashing in the ‘Write your own headline’ box, blinking in and out of view like it was taunting him almost… or maybe Calum was just going crazy and didn’t know how to flirt anymore.

“Why aren’t you writing anything?” Michael asked after a long moment. Calum looked over at his best friend slowly, taking in the older man’s crossed legs and messy hair, and the screwed-up tissues lying crumpled around him which were evidence of the tears he had shed during the film.

“I have no inspiration,” Calum said and Michael frowned at him, taking in Calum’s weak scowl with an unimpressed raised eyebrow.

“Of course you do,” Michael said dismissively, raking a hand through his sandy-coloured hair and sneering vaguely. “Tell me your favourite things. Quickly! No hesitating!”

“Um, shit,” Calum blurted out intelligently before ordering his thoughts: “Um… dogs, sleeping, nail varnish, pizza… maybe you I guess… _I_ don’t know…” Michael paused to preen at that before he shrugged, folding his hands behind his head and settling back more comfortably in his Deadpool onesie.

“I thought you were going to help me,” Calum complained and Michael snorted, covering his eyes with his forearm although the younger man could see his best friend smiling anyway.

“Thanks for nothing,” Calum said but his lips were curving into a tiny smile as he dropped his plate of pizza on Michael’s chest, pulling the laptop closer to him. A small smirk curled across his mouth as he typed out a short headline and Michael craned his neck curiously to see what his best friend had written.

“ **Looking for someone to raise a dog with.** ”

Michael barked out a surprised laugh and Calum tried not to feel smug as he searched through his Facebook account for pictures he could add to his profile. He found a couple of selfies, some pictures from a holiday he’d been on the year before, and a photo his older sister Mali had taken of him and Michael on the beach last Christmas because everyone always told him how cute he looked in it.

“There,” Calum said after perhaps twenty minutes. “I think it’s done.”

He looked up to see a contented and vaguely sleepy Michael lying curled nearby, his head cushioned on a pillow and a trace of tomato sauce smeared on the corner of his mouth.

Apparently Michael had eaten the rest of his best friend’s pizza while Calum was concentrating but the younger man didn’t care.

He was too excited to receive his first message.

*

“I don’t know what to do,” Ashton said. His hair was wet from his shower and Luke was shovelling roasted peanuts into his mouth from beside him with all the enthusiasm of a wild horse, and Ashton just wasn’t loving life right now.

He had work in the morning which meant he had to wake up early and it was his turn to walk Luke’s old dog Molly tomorrow - which he usually enjoyed but she was grouchy at the moment - and, beside him, Luke had just choked and spluttered bits of peanut all over Ashton’s bare leg.

This was basically the opposite of okay.

“Keep scrolling?” Luke suggested once he could breathe again. “Maybe there'll be someone cute. Maybe it’ll be like love at first sight or you’ll get an instant boner or - or -”

“Don’t talk about me getting a boner in front of your dog, Luke. That’s _weird_ ,” Ashton grumbled but his eyes still drifted back to the screen and he began to scroll again, glancing over the pictures hesitantly.

“Do you fancy anyone yet?” Luke asked hopefully as he shovelled another handful of peanuts into his mouth. Ashton watched him with mild distaste but it was hard to keep the fondness from his face and he was fairly sure he was doing a terrible job of it.

“Not yet,” Ashton said after a moment. “I mean… I’ve only seen their picture and I try not to be so superficial that I’m only attracted to someone physically, y’know? Because that’s kind of a shitty thing to do and it doesn’t exactly lead to fulfilling relationships…”

“Have you been reading Lauren’s magazines again?” Luke teased and Ashton kicked him lightly in the shin, smiling smugly when Luke almost dropped the packet of peanuts.

“No, I’m just trying to be a nice person,” Ashton disagreed before his jaw suddenly slackened and he almost dropped the laptop. Luke looked up at his best friend curiously, taking in the tiny smile curving Ashton’s lips and the way his mouth had fallen open a little.

“See something you like?” Luke asked innocently and Ashton shushed him half-heartedly, hazel eyes twinkling as he clicked hesitantly on the man’s profile and began to scroll. His soft giggle surprised Luke and the blond man wriggled closer to look at the screen too.

“I like the headline,” Luke said, grinning when he read it. “‘ _Looking for someone to raise a dog with_ ’. Shit, how cute is that?”

“ _Very_ cute,” Ashton said breathlessly but he didn’t seem to be joking now. His honey-coloured curls were falling into his eyes and his cheeks were heating up a little bit, and he didn’t even shove his best friend when Luke cheerfully suggested messaging him which the blond man counted as a win.

“I don’t know what to say,” Ashton mumbled and Luke slung an arm warmly around the older man’s shoulders, not wanting to see the light in his best friend’s eyes flicker out again.

“Just tell him hi,” Luke said reasonably. “Tell him you love puppies too. Say you like his cute face and also that your best friend thinks his friend in one of those pictures there is adorable so could he maybe hit him up? You know… just something casual…”

Ashton snorted, nudging Luke lightly in the ribs with his elbow although his expression was decidedly fond now. He looked calmer than he had done in a long time and Luke was glad his teasing had worked. He loved his best friend no matter what but seeing Ashton happy was Luke’s favourite thing in the world.

“I’m going to ignore everything you just said,” Ashton decided but he was still smiling. His fingers drifted across the keyboard and Luke hid his satisfied smile in his best friend’s shoulder when Ashton pressed send.

The message read simply: “ **I love puppies. Want to get coffee at some point and coo over pictures of them?** ” and the reply didn’t take long at all.

The man - who had chocolate brown eyes, dark curls, and dimples in his cheeks - responded in a cheerful tone, introducing himself as Calum and exclaiming that he would indeed like to intake caffeine with Ashton.

Luke snorted with laughter when he read that - apparently the stranger rambled when he was nervous - but Ashton was smiling softer than ever now and Luke knew this hadn’t been a mistake.

“Tell him he has a cute friend!” Luke said excitedly and Ashton elbowed him again.

This time Luke fell right off the chair.

*

Calum couldn’t concentrate properly at work. The office was quiet and his inbox was about as empty as it was ever going to get, and Calum was surreptitiously scrolling through his phone under the desk as he re-read his various conversations with Ashton.

They’d been talking for several weeks now and every time Calum’s phone lit up with a notification, it made him feel a little calmer and happier than he had before. Michael was being disgustingly smug about how well things were going but Calum couldn’t really find it in himself to blame his best friend.

Things really _did_ feel better now.

Calum had stayed up late the night before, chatting with Ashton into the early hours of the morning about anything they could think of, be it films they’d seen in the cinema or Ashton’s love of drumming, or how surprisingly _good_ Luke was at cooking pasta bake. (Ashton had described his housemate and best friend’s cooking ability in great detail, and Calum was sort of jealous that he and Michael weren’t more inventive in the kitchen.)

Calum clicked onto Ashton’s profile and read it for perhaps the fiftieth time, taking in the little self-deprecating jibes and the lame pick-up lines Ashton had dotted throughout the text. The pictures were Calum’s favourite though; he liked looking at the laughter lines on the older man’s face and the pretty green flecks in his hazel eyes that sparkled against his tanned skin.

God, Calum wanted to meet him in real life. He _needed_ to because, right now, this wonderful human who he’d been speaking to for so long felt too good to be true.

Ashton was enthusiastic and seemingly the most cheerful person Calum had ever had the good fortune to come across, and his smile sent butterflies racing in Calum’s stomach whenever he let himself daydream about the older man.

Calum’s phone lit up with a text and the dark-haired man almost dropped it on the floor in his sudden elation when he clicked the message open to read it. It was from Ashton and there were way too many smiley emojis used instead of grammar but Calum was smiling way too hard to care.

‘ **hey cal!! work is slow today but at least that gives me an excuse to text you. i was just thinking and i wondered if you would like to get coffee this saturday? or tea? or hot chocolate? or beer? honestly i kind of just really want to meet you now. no pressure if not but please let me know!!! ash x** ’

Calum allowed himself a little giggle and a victory spin on his swivel chair before he struggled to hide his jubilation, ducking down low in his seat as he typed out a reply which roughly translated to: ‘ **yESSS!1!!!! ALL THE DRINKS!!1!!!** ’ because Calum was _impressively_ casual when he was excited and he refused to believe otherwise.

They decided on a time and place - next Saturday morning in a little café in downtown Sydney which they both knew fairly well - and then Calum ran into the toilet to call Michael and he texted Mali, and the rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of painfully wide smiles and excited butterflies.

Calum couldn’t _wait_ for the weekend.

*

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, and Calum was almost _beside_ himself with excitement now. He and Ashton had been texting nonstop for almost three weeks now, and Calum couldn’t remember feeling this happy in a long time.

He’d panicked terribly that morning until Michael had helped him pick an outfit - jeans, a vintage band t-shirt of Michael’s, and a black-and-grey plaid shirt - and his hair wasn’t really doing what it was told but Calum stopped caring when he saw Ashton waiting for him outside the café.

The older man was smaller than Calum had realised, probably only coming up to his chin which Calum actually found _painfully_ sweet. Ashton had honey-coloured curls and wide hazel eyes framed with long eyelashes, and Calum wondered if Ashton could _tell_ his heart was trying to beat right out of his chest as he approached him slowly, trying to keep the awkward-and-probably-terrifying smile off his face.

“Hey there,” Calum said nervously before cringing at his choice of words. “Hello.”

When Ashton laughed at Calum’s greeting, the sound made the world feel ten times brighter.

“Hi, Calum,” Ashton said easily, dimples creasing his cheeks as he smiled shyly at the taller man. “You want to go get one of those drinks we couldn’t decide on now?”

Calum ducked his head, smiling bashfully as his cheeks heated with blood.

“I think it might be a day for hot chocolate,” he said solemnly and Ashton’s eyes twinkled when the taller man held the door open for him.

“I think you might be right,” Ashton said.

*

The booth they’d picked was beside the window. It overlooked the beach and the sun was warming the soft cracked leather, and Ashton just felt very content. Calum was sitting across from him and their legs kept brushing under the table, and his heart was racing in his chest at the sensation of actually letting himself be _close_ to someone again.

Their mugs of hot chocolate sat cooling on the table between them and they kept smiling at each other shyly, too overwhelmed at finally being together to fill the surprisingly comfortable silence that had settled over them.

“So…” Ashton said at last, his voice mild. “What made you join the dating website then?” He lifted his mug to take a sip of the sweet drink inside and the dark-haired man watched him with fond eyes, his cheeks heating a little.

“I created my dating profile under duress,” Calum said, imagining Michael’s indignant squawk in his head and failing to suppress a smile. “Namely, I didn’t want my best friend to start sulking because then he might not let me walk his dog with him anymore.”

Ashton’s hazel eyes twinkled and his soft laugh seemed to take him by surprise.

“I just really love puppies,” Ashton said, smiling crookedly. “Plus, my best friend Luke thought that _your_ best friend in one of the pictures was cute and he wanted me to fix them up.”

“Oh, _nice_ ,” Calum teased, trying for sarcastic and failing when a smile lit up his face. “Everyone just wants to play matchmaker these days, huh?”

“It would certainly seem so,” Ashton agreed but he was grinning now and the beauty of his smile took Calum’s breath away. “Your profile was cute by the way,” the older man added, smiling wider when Calum blushed. “I liked your headline. Dogs are _great_.”

“I know,” Calum said before his expression became curious. “Have _you_ ever had a dog before?”

Ashton beamed at him, dimples creasing his cheeks as he drew his fingers through his soft curls. Calum relaxed at the happy look on the older man’s face and his lips twitched into a smile when Ashton nodded.

“Yep,” the older man confirmed, smiling easily as he lounged back in the soft leather chair. “We have a dog back at my mum’s place; she’s called Indie and she’s almost as old as _I_ am now -” He faltered to bark out a laugh when Calum raised his eyebrows in mock horror. “My flatmate Luke’s family have one too though; we’re dog-sitting at the moment. She’s called Molly and she’s _so_ grouchy but she’s quite cute too.” Ashton pulled a face as he lowered his eyes to the table. “I’ve never had one of my own before.” His expression softened fractionally at the hopeful look on Calum’s face. “I’d really love one though.”

“Me too,” Calum said wistfully, propping his chin up in his palm as he gazed out of the window towards the dog walkers on the beach.

“Maybe one day,” Ashton said and Calum looked up at him, dark eyes crinkling as he took in the tiny smile dancing across the older man’s lips.

“Yeah,” Calum agreed and his expression became hesitant as he covered Ashton’s hand lightly with his own. “One day.”


	2. Nothing To Forgive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys will like this!  
> I had a lot of fun writing it <3

Ashton wasn’t waiting at the kitchen table for Luke’s special chocolate-chip pancakes on Saturday morning which was the blond man’s first clue that something was wrong.

Luke arranged them carefully on two plates as the unease started to unfurl inside him and his worry had progressed to full-blown butterflies by the time he’d grabbed two sets of cutlery.

The second – and possibly more worrying – clue was that, when he glanced towards the corner of the room, Luke noticed that a thin layer of dust had accumulated on Ashton’s drum-kit. This set Luke’s heart racing just a little too fast because Ashton used his drums to release his pent-up emotions and the fact that he hadn’t been playing them worried Luke a lot. He could feel himself growing frustrated too – he’d spent all this time joking about how cute Calum’s friend Michael was but he hadn’t even noticed that Ashton must be hurting.

Molly was sitting on the ground nearby, tail wagging idly as she watched Luke with her big worried brown eyes.

“I know,” Luke said softly to the dog as he poured two glasses of apple juice and set everything out neatly on a tray. “I’m worried too.”

Molly trotted along beside him as he headed down the hallway towards Ashton’s room but he could feel the anxiety gnawing in his chest. He’d heard Ashton going into the bathroom this morning so at least he knew he was okay but… but Ashton was always an early riser; always up irritatingly early to tidy and make remarks about how Luke would never see what the sunrise looked like because he was too lazy to drag himself out of bed before nine o’clock.

The fact that it was already almost ten now and Ashton hadn’t yet emerged was… worrying.

Maybe he was sick. Maybe Luke was just going to make it twenty times worse by bursting in with pancakes and an overly-concerned dog.

Luke was just wondering how he was going to balance the tray and open the door without dropping anything when Molly surged forwards, jumping up to head-butt the door which might have made Luke laugh if it hadn’t been so effective. Ashton squawked vaguely and Molly flashed him the doggy equivalent of a toothy grin – tongue lolling over her teeth and no trace of her usual grouchiness in sight – and Luke’s blue eyes crinkled into a relieved smile.

“Good girl,” he said and she licked his bare ankle tenderly. Luke grimaced.

Ashton’s room was dark when he ventured in and it was only the older man turning on his lamp with a mumbled protest that stopped Luke from tripping over and spilling their breakfast everywhere.

“What’s up, Ashy?” Luke asked in as chirpy a voice as he could manage, watching his best friend with poorly-disguised concern as Ashton struggled into a sitting position, his curls a mess and the circles under his eyes as dark as bruises. “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

“Not really.” Ashton’s voice was rough and Luke was afraid he might have been crying the night before which would at least have explained why Ashton hadn’t left his bedroom all night. “Thinking too much. You know how that goes.”

Luke’s heart shuddered in his chest as his blue eyes flickered to where Ashton’s scarred wrists were hidden under the duvet.

“You didn’t –”

“Oh, of _course_ I didn’t,” Ashton snapped but Luke knew he was only being defensive because he was hurting. The blond man’s face softened and he sat down hesitantly on the edge of the mattress, taking one of the plates of pancakes and setting it carefully on the older man’s lap. Luke shoved a piece of chocolatey pancake into his mouth before he put their glasses of juice on the bedside table and literally pressed the cutlery into Ashton’s hands, and then the older man started crying and Luke almost choked on the mouthful he’d been about to swallow.

“Ashton?” Luke asked timidly, the word garbled around his food. Ashton tried to laugh at him but his hazel eyes were damp and the blond man sighed, wriggling closer so that he could sit beside his best friend. Ashton’s head fell to rest on his shoulder and Luke fed him a forkful of pancake with a fond expression on his face.

Neither of them spoke but Luke was content to remain quiet; he knew Ashton well and the older man closed off if he felt like he was being backed into a corner or forced to answer something. It was better to let him come to the decision on his own.

Molly let out a soft woof and Ashton’s shoulders slumped as a little of the tension left him.

Finally, the curly-haired man broke the silence.

“I thought I was happier,” Ashton admitted softly, looking down at the pancakes on his plate and the way Luke’s warm thigh was pressed comfortingly against his. “I went on that date with Calum and… and it made me feel _happy_ , y’know? I didn’t want that feeling to go away again.” Luke wrapped his arm around Ashton’s shoulders gently and the smaller man looked touched that Luke would sacrifice eating pancakes for him. Then Luke grabbed one in his hand and tore a strip off with his teeth, and Ashton rolled his eyes so hard Luke was worried they were going to fall out of his head.

“I understand what you’re saying,” Luke said around his mouthful of food. “And I hate that you’re hurting, Ashy, because you deserve the whole damn world, okay?” Ashton wiped some chocolate off his face that Luke had accidentally sprayed him with but he still looked touched. “But Calum isn’t magic. He can’t just wave a magic wand and make you feel better. I bet he doesn’t even know you’re not happy, does he? I bet you haven’t even messaged him since that day.”

Ashton looked away, biting his bottom lip as his cheeks heated at how well his best friend could read him. He knew Luke was telling the truth but Ashton shook his head in disagreement anyway.

“Calum is a _little_ bit magic,” the older man mumbled, stabbing a piece of pancake morosely and shovelling it into his mouth. Molly was watching the food hopefully from the floor but Ashton ignored her; chocolate was bad for dogs. “He made me smile and stuff. He held my hand and we talked about puppies.”

“That’s good then!” Luke said encouragingly, his blond hair falling into his eyes as he watched the older man earnestly. “Why don’t you text him again? Say you’d like to meet up?”

Ashton shrank away, arms wrapped tightly around himself as he looked at Luke with wide hazel eyes.

“I can’t!” Ashton said in what could almost be described as a squeak. “I told him I’d text him and then I didn’t message him all week! He’ll hate me!”

“He won’t hate you,” Luke said but there was something like doubt on his face now. “He’s probably just had his feelings hurt a little bit... but if you explain then I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Ashton was shaking his head almost frantically now, looking smaller than ever as he grabbed his glass of apple juice and hid behind it, taking a big gulp and watching Luke with frightened eyes over the rim.

The blond man let out a soft sigh, his head falling forwards for a moment as he wondered why nothing was ever easy.

“We’ll fix this, Ashy,” Luke said and his tone was resolute now. “I won’t let you lose him. I promise.”

He rose determinedly to his feet and carried his empty plate towards the kitchen, only hesitating as he reached the doorway. Luke looked back at Ashton guiltily, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as the older man looked up at him in confusion.

“I spat pancake on you when I was talking earlier, didn’t I?” Luke realised but the mortification on his face faded when Ashton gave him a tired smile.

“Only a little bit,” the older man confessed. “But I don’t really mind. You’re still the best friend in the world.”

Luke’s face crinkled as he smiled and the older man rolled his eyes fondly.

“I _am_ pretty fantastic,” Luke said agreeably.

Molly barked but it sounded like laughter.

*

Michael was waiting for Calum at the entrance to the town park, standing beside the railings with an excited Federer tangling them up in his lead as he ran in circles around Michael’s legs.

“Stop it!” Michael reprimanded when Federer twisted around them again. “Federer, I’m going to fall over! Stop it! Sit down!”

Federer sat, Michael staggered and, fortunately, Calum’s hand shot out to steady him.

“Oh thank god you’re here,” Michael said and the dark-haired man smiled wryly as he knelt on the pavement to help detangle the pair of them. “Are you okay? I was wondering if you were even going to show up.”

“Of course I was,” Calum said dismissively, sighing when Michael used his head to balance in an effort to pull one of his feet free. “You two get up to all sorts of shenanigans when I’m not around to help you.”

“Shenanigans?” Michael repeated with a smirk on his face, straightening up with relief when Calum got the knots undone. “That’s a big word for so early in the morning.”

“I have other words too,” Calum said, running his hand through his curls ruefully as the pair of them set off into the park in the wake of an excited poodle. “Like tomfoolery and horseplay and monkeyshines and high jinks –”

“ _Monkeyshines_?” Michael asked, frowning faintly. “You just made that up.”

“Did not,” Calum said instantly. “It’s a real thing. Look it up; I’m not lying.”

“Right,” Michael said doubtfully before he adopted a suspiciously innocent tone of voice to ask: “And is there any particular _reason_ you’re trying to deflect by pretending to be a thesaurus?” His face fell suddenly and Calum sighed softly, looking away. “Ashton still hasn’t messaged you.”

It wasn’t a question and the dark-haired man refused to meet his best friend’s gaze although Michael glanced sideways in time to see the younger man's tanned face crumpling a little.

“It’s been a week,” Calum said in a voice that was so purposefully uncaring that it could only have been hiding pain underneath. “Clearly he hates me.”

“That’s not possible,” Michael said firmly but his mind was racing now as he remembered the messages Calum had shown him; it just didn’t make any _sense_. Ashton had seemed really genuinely interested in him and, from what Michael had heard at least, the date had seemed like a huge success. “Maybe he’s just been really busy at work?” Michael attempted weakly but, deep down, he knew he wouldn’t accept that excuse if it was him in Calum’s place. His best friend deserved better than that.

“I’m not messaging him first,” Calum said mulishly, trying hard not to look heartbroken as he schooled his expression into one of displeasure instead. “I sent the last message. It’s too awkward.”

“And you’re too stubborn,” Michael pointed out but he _almost_ looked impressed. “Just… don’t give up hope, okay? Because I saw how happy he made you when you came back on Saturday and I don’t think you should just write it off.”

“Fine,” Calum said, somewhat sulkily in Michael’s opinion. The older man rolled his eyes but his expression was almost serene now as he handed Calum a scented bag, gesturing to where Federer was sniffing something unpleasant in the grass.

“Off you go, grasshopper,” Michael said and Calum mumbled something that was probably offensive as he stamped off to clean up after the dog. It _was_ his turn after all and Michael was being very sweet while Calum vented so the dark-haired man figured it was the least he could do.

“I’m still not messaging him first though,” Calum reminded him over his shoulder.

Michael simply scoffed but chose not to reply.

This turn of events was fine, the older man decided as he settled down on a nearby bench and tried not to smile like a super villain.

Everything was going to work out perfectly.

Michael had a plan.

*

Ashton was moping again.

Luke could hear his best friend singing what sounded like Lana Del Rey in the shower which was never exactly a good sign and the blond man rolled his eyes fondly, settling down on the sofa with his laptop balanced on his chest. There was a bowl of popcorn just waiting for Luke to eat it on the coffee table but the blond man was busy for now, too focused on ‘investigating’ – definitely  _not_ stalking – Calum’s Facebook in an effort to find out everything he could about the older man.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t too much information Luke could actually _see_. Calum’s security settings were too good but at least his friend list was visible. Luke opened it up and searched ‘Michael’ and, after a few moments while he waited for his laptop to load – it was slow enough that Luke liked to tell people he’d purchased it in the early Jurassic era – he found what he was looking for.

Luke clicked on Michael Clifford's profile – pausing to suppress an incredibly casual squeal at how cute the sandy-haired guy was – and opened a new message.

 **FROM Luke “Hemmo” Hemmings [Sent at 19:57]  
** _Hello Michael. You don’t know me but I know you._

Luke hit return without meaning to and squawked, facepalming for a moment before he hurriedly typed out the rest of the message, his cheeks flaming scarlet by the time he’d finished typing. (It didn’t help that the little ‘Seen’ notification showed up halfway through which probably meant Michael was reading the message in creeped-out confusion as the younger man continued feverishly typing.

 **FROM Luke “Hemmo” Hemmings [Sent at 20:01]  
** _Shit, I didn’t mean to send that yet – that sounded so creepy! I meant to say that you don’t know me but I know you because I’m Ashton’s best friend and he says you’re Calum’s best friend! If you haven’t blocked me out of fear yet, I just wondered if we could talk about them if that was cool? Sorry, you probably think I’m really weird now. - Luke_

Fortunately for Luke’s nerves, the older man replied very quickly and, despite his first message being a little strange, Luke was glad of it all the same. It put him at ease and made him feel less like the poor guy was about to call the police on him. To be quite honest, Luke had pictured his plan running a little more smoothly than this.

 **FROM Michael Clifford [Sent at 20:04]  
** _Oh my god, I just laughed so hard I choked on my spaghetti! But I’m glad you messaged – I was actually planning on messaging you today but I was too lazy to spend ages searching for you. What happened with Ashton?? I thought their date went really well but now Calum won’t talk about it and he’s all upset... :( Do you know what’s wrong?? - Mike_

 **FROM Luke “Hemmo” Hemmings [Sent at 20:11]  
** _I spoke to Ash this morning and I know he’d kill me for saying this so it’s a secret!! But he just gets really down sometimes, y’know? And I think he hoped that meeting someone would like… cure him or something. And now he’s sad because it didn’t work (obviously) but he still really likes your friend! So I told him to message Calum and apologise but Ash freaked out and I know he won’t do it on his own but I didn’t just want them to fall apart and… yeah, I don't know. I just want him to be happy._

_**FROM Luke “Hemmo” Hemmings [Sent at 20:23]  
** Michael? Are you still there?_

**FROM Michael Clifford [Sent at 20:27]  
** _Sorry I went to make a cheese toastie. But yeah, I completely understand that. Cal gets sad too and that’s why this had me so worried. But I don’t get why Ashton won’t message? Does he think Cal hates him or something? Because Cal definitely doesn’t. He looked like someone had kicked a puppy when I mentioned it today so he’s definitely still having FEELINGS and stuff. :S Would Ash message him if you told him that??_

 **FROM Luke “Hemmo” Hemmings [Sent at 20:31]  
** _I wondered where you’d got to! But I thought you were eating spaghetti? :') Either way, he said he thought Calum was “a little bit magic” (gross, right?) ((that was sarcasm)) so I can probably persuade Ash to do it. I might just have to lay the guilt on a bit thick but I’m sure it’d work out. :/ If I can persuade Ashton to at least message tonight, do you really think Calum will be okay with it?_

The silence this time was longer and Luke shifted uncomfortably as he watched the little keyboard icon in the corner of the screen. It flickered as Michael began to type, flashing as he presumably stopped and then started again. Luke wondered what he was writing that was taking so long and was therefore mildly surprised when the older man simply sent his phone number and asked Luke to call him.

The blond man felt nervousness fluttering in the confines of his stomach as he dialled the number but it was with a surprising amount of _relief_ that he heard the gravelly voice on the other end of the line, all deep and warm with a hint of humour saturating the words.

“Hello, Luke,” Michael said and the blond man blushed faintly; he could practically hear the smile in the other man’s voice. “I figured this would be easier over the phone and Cal’s not come round for our film night yet so this works out.”

“Yeah, it was a good idea,” Luke said cautiously, settling down more comfortably on the sofa and leaving his laptop on the coffee table as he crossed his legs at the ankle. “So… what do you think? Will Calum be okay with it if Ash is brave enough to message?”

Michael sighed softly over the line.

“I think so,” the older man said heavily. “Cal’s had his feelings hurt and… he can be a bit stubborn sometimes I guess… but I know he really likes Ashton. I don’t think a text will cut it though to be honest. Cal’s pretty upset. Ashton ignored all his messages.”

“Shit,” Luke said heavily, his voice saturated with regret. “Um… the odds that I can actually encourage Ashton to do this are fairly slim but… if he _is_ brave enough to come and apologise to Calum face to face, do you think that will be enough? Do you have any advice?”

Michael considered this in silence for several seconds before finally answering.

“I think that would be sufficient,” he said at last and Luke’s lips twitched when he heard that faint amusement in the older man’s voice again, like he was judging their two best friends for being so stubborn and difficult. “But as for advice? Cal’s a romantic at heart. Tell Ashton to bring him flowers or chocolates… or a dog. A dog would probably work.”

Luke grinned, snorting with laughter.

“I’ll pass the message along,” he said, biting his bottom lip suddenly when Ashton appeared in the living room doorway with a towel wrapped around his wet hair. When the older man mouthed ‘Who are you talking to?’, Luke just smiled placidly and shook his head. “Very helpful, Michael.”

Ashton’s eyes almost bulged out of his head when he heard the name and Luke raised his eyebrows, watching his best friend nervously to make sure he wasn’t going to hyperventilate or something.

“I’m so glad you think so,” the older man said wryly and Luke wondered if it was weird that he was rapidly developing a crush on this mysterious-yet-attractive-sounding guy that he’d never met before.

“So… you said you and Calum were having a film night tonight?” Luke asked curiously and Ashton collapsed into their beanbag beside the television. Michael hummed agreeably.

“Yep,” he said and Luke hit the speaker button silently so that Ashton could hear their conversation too. “You know, I’m just thinking out loud here so stop me if you want to but… why don’t you two come round tonight?” Michael asked hesitantly and his tone was softer now, like this was a lot more important to him than he’d been letting on. “That would give the pair of them time to talk, right? I’m sure Cal would be up for it.”

Ashton whimpered and Luke caught his gaze, his blue eyes fiery with determination now because this had worked out even better than he’d imagined.

“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Luke decided, ignoring the wounded look Ashton shot him as he took the phone off speaker again, bringing it back to his ear. “Thanks, Mike. If you send me your address then we’ll come over in like an hour, okay? Wait, you do live in Sydney too, right? Because otherwise it might take longer than an hour…”

Michael snorted and, even in his current state, Ashton managed a weak eye roll.

“We’re in Sydney,” Michael confirmed but he sounded quieter now… gentler almost. “Don’t forget the flowers, okay?” His tone became abruptly teasing. “Or the dogs.”

“Or the chocolates for the kind best friend who’s been such a good sport about this,” Luke interjected smoothly and he could almost _hear_ Michael blushing now.

“Are you flirting with me?” the older man asked after a long moment. Luke grinned.

“Maybe,” he said. “Guess you’ll have to find out when we come round later, right? Which reminds me… I should probably _not_ turn up wearing Batman pyjamas.”

“Don’t think we’re quite there in the friendship yet,” Michael joked but Luke’s heart felt like it was melting in his chest as he processed those words. “I’ll send you my address now,” the older man continued. “Better go let Calum know the change of plans. See you later, okay? Take care.”

“Bye for now,” Luke said before ending the call. Ashton was staring at him like Luke had threatened to barbecue Molly and the blond man sighed heavily as he got to his feet.

“Stop glowering at me,” Luke said, deciding it was better to distract Ashton by being light-hearted since the alternative would probably only lead to him panicking. “This is a _good_ thing, okay? You go and get changed, and then we’re going to take Molly to the shops, buy Calum some chocolates and flowers and stuff, and then we’ll all go round to Michael’s house to watch a film, okay? And then you two can talk to each other while Mike and I, like, low-key flirt with each other… and then everything will be great, okay? Just like I _promised_.”

Ashton still looked dazed but he nodded in agreement and Luke shrugged as he grabbed a handful of popcorn, cramming it into his mouth with only minor spillage. (Molly helped by eating the dropped pieces off the carpet.)

Ashton hadn’t refused or had a panic attack so Luke was feeling pretty triumphant right now.

He was going to count this one as a win.

*

Calum was nervous.

He’d arrived at his best friend's house expecting macaroni cheese and Final Destination films, and it turned out he’d been lured here under false pretences. Federer had been shut in the garden and Michael was looking very pleased with himself and, while Calum was a _tiny_ bit pissed off that Michael hadn’t warned him – some time to prepare might have been nice – he was grateful all the same. Michael was a brilliant best friend and Calum loved him a lot –

And then the doorbell rang and Calum panicked because suddenly this plan didn’t seem quite so good anymore.

“I’ll get it,” Michael said and his eagerness confused Calum for a moment before he saw Michael fixing his hair in the hall mirror and remembered the older man's crush on Luke.

Calum heard low voices in the hallway and struggled to draw in a deep breath, feeling the hurt and the excitement bubbling inside him as he tried to work out which emotion was more relevant for the situation.

Michael appeared after a minute, his cheeks flushed a soft pink as a tall blond man appeared in the doorway beside him. His blond hair was falling in curls and his sky blue eyes twinkled, and Calum almost managed a weak smirk when he saw how flustered Michael clearly was at their proximity.

“Where’s …?” Calum’s voice trailed away and the stranger who must have been Luke smiled apologetically.

“Ashton’s waiting for you on the doorstep. The moon’s out and it’s a warm evening so it seemed too good an opportunity to miss,” Luke explained. Calum watched him blankly and the blond man frowned as he glanced towards Michael. “Mike here told me you were a romantic so I passed the message along.”

“Michael, you said _what_?!” Calum exclaimed, trying not to be offended when Michael and Luke both snorted with laughter. It didn’t matter if Calum cried at romantic comedies and loved roses more than football; Michael didn’t have to tell people!

“Just go ahead, Cal,” Michael said softly as Luke nodded in agreement.

“Don’t leave him waiting, yeah?” the blond man added. “I don’t want him to freak out and run away.”

Calum heard Ashton mumble a reproachful: “I heard that, Luke” and his lips twitched faintly as he ran a hand through his dark curls, his heart racing in his chest.

“Fine,” Calum said, biting his bottom lip hard before he glanced towards the two of them gratefully. “Thank you both for this though. It was kind of you to do this… and I’m sure it had nothing at all to do with you both fancying each other, did it?”

They both spluttered and went bright red, and Calum smiled to himself as he headed down the hallway to where the front door was waiting open for him. Satisfied that he’d had a little revenge for the awkward situation he now found himself in, Calum steeled himself and took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

The air escaped him in a sad sigh when he realised that Ashton was even more beautiful than he remembered; when he saw that the older man’s eyelashes were spiky with tears and that he was clutching a bouquet of flowers in one large, trembling hand.

“You brought me a dog,” Calum said stupidly when he saw the black-and-white animal sitting on the step nearby. Calum knelt down to let her smell his hand and Ashton sniffed tearfully.

“I know how much you love them.” He sighed softly. “She’s Luke’s family’s dog. Her name's Molly,” Ashton explained. The dog licked the back of Calum’s hand curiously and Ashton frowned as he crouched down too. “She hates most people… except you apparently.”

"I love dogs," Calum said with a small shrug. "I think they can tell."

Molly brushed her damp nose gently on Calum’s palm and the dark-haired man’s timid smile grew brighter, at least until Ashton leant too far backwards and overbalanced. He ended up landing on the front step with a huff of air and Calum bit his lip worriedly, unsure whether he was allowed to smile or if that was against the rules now.

He didn’t like that things felt so awkward again; not after they’d had so much fun last Saturday.

“Are you okay down there?” Calum whispered and Ashton tried to smile but his eyes got all teary again.

“Yeah.” He held the flowers out shakily and Calum took them after a moment, ducking his head to breathe in the sweet perfume as a little of the tension bled out of him. “Calum, I’m sorry for not messaging. I’m sorry I let you think that you’d done something wrong. I’m sorry I was so rubbish –”

“Hey,” Calum cut in softly, his dark eyes unhappy now as he watched one of the tears slide down Ashton’s soft, flaming cheek. “You’re not rubbish at all. I get that maybe you’re dealing with some crap right now or whatever but… you don’t have to hide it, y’know? I could’ve helped you.” He hesitated, steeling himself for what he was about to say next. “I could _still_ help you.”

Ashton hung his head but there was the hint of a relieved smile curving his lips now, like he could hardly believe his luck.

“I definitely don’t deserve you,” he said but Calum just shook his head firmly, reaching to take the smaller man’s hand as he helped them both straighten up.

“Stop that,” Calum said quietly. “You might’ve been a bit elusive this week but you don’t need to be so hard on yourself, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong on purpose. It’s not your fault.”

“So you forgive me?” Ashton asked hopefully and Calum’s chocolate brown eyes softened.

“There’s nothing to forgive, Ash.”

Ashton looked vaguely stunned as he tilted his head to look up at the taller man and Calum blushed at the nickname, and quite suddenly it struck him that they hadn’t kissed yet. They hadn’t even _hugged_. All they’d done was hold hands over a table and realise that they had the potential to actually _be_ something.

Calum hoped that maybe now they’d finally get the chance.

“You’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” Ashton said after a long moment. Calum smiled shyly as he carefully withdrew a daisy from the bouquet and tucked it gently into the smaller man’s honey-coloured curls. Ashton blushed a soft pink.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Calum said teasingly, his dimples creasing his cheeks as his chocolate brown eyes sparkled.

When Ashton smiled then, Calum knew he meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please let me know what you thought :) <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Please let me know what you thought :) <3


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